Biodiversity Minister, Lorna Slater visited the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) on Friday, February 24 as the latest round of funding from the Scottish Government's Nature Restoration Fund was announced.

RBGE Molecular Ecologist, Dr Aline Finger and Nursery Supervisor, Peter Brownless welcomed the Minister and explained about the vital conservation work being done in Scotland. Aline talked specifically about the RBGE project supported by the Nature Restoration Fund to prevent the extinction of 10 of Scotland's most threatened plant species. At the end of the visit to the Garden's Nursery, the Minister planted an endangered Hedlundia arrenensis. Endemic to the Isle of Arran, the tree has been grown from material collected during fieldwork there in 2007.

Managed by NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s £65 million Nature Restoration Fund supports projects that help Scotland's species, woodlands, rivers and seas, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of local communities. These projects take practical steps to help against the twin crises of biodiverstiy loss and climate change, and restore Scotland’s natural environment.